Oh come on, you know full well I wasn't claiming that they were all progressives. What I said is there is no way of proving that the progressive constituency in this nation is minute, and that Ron was making a specious claim by saying so.

What I was doing was, first, to show the reality of the % of all eligible voters who actually voted for Bush. Like Reagan and Clinton after him, that number is suprisingly small, and definitely smaller than the number of people who voted for neither Democratic or Republican candidates.

"They're apathetic because they're not being offered a genuine progressive alternative," you say?"

I said no such thing Don. You are having an imaginary conversation with me, strictly on your own.

Thank you Nerd, for being more clear than I was. Yes, I am saying that with some serious work, either a progressive Democrat or an independent candidate (not a Green Party candidate) like Nader, could unite enough of the progressive left with the traditional Democratic center-left party regulars, and elect a progressive president. Just as likely a scenario as Bushie boy getting in, if you look at the Republican playbook! What I'm saying is, by building coalitions, it could be done within 2, maybe 3 presidential election cycles. Maybe less, depending on how dire things get under Bush.